tag: Library collections
Blog Post
August 1, 2024
New Report on Library Collaborations in Collection Development
Although libraries have a long tradition of working together to improve their collections and related services, collaborations should not be viewed as a panacea. As the landscape of scholarly resources evolve, to be effective and tactical, collaborations need to carefully balance their collective and institutional priorities while remaining responsive to the user needs and behavior. Today, we share a new report on the governance and business characteristics of collaborative collection development initiatives. We intentionally focus on governance models as…
Research Report
August 1, 2024
Governance and Business Models for Collaborative Collection Development
To be effective, library collaborations focused on collection development need to be responsive to the changing landscape of scholarly resources as well as the evolving nature of research, teaching, and learning. The purpose of this report is to further increase our understanding of the governance and business characteristics of collaborative collection development initiatives, and how the attributes of different business models can affect the outcomes of collaborations.
Blog Post
February 28, 2024
Assessing the Diversity of Library Collections
Announcing a New Cohort Project
As we’ve explored in our previous work, academic libraries build collections in the context of their parent institutions—primarily to support the institution’s research, teaching, and learning mission. They also build collections that document and preserve the cultural and scientific heritage of our society to represent a wide range of perspectives. In these efforts, universities and their libraries are developing approaches that address calls for greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) with a focus on creating space for the…
Past Event
September 27, 2023
Collaborative Collections Lifecycle Project (CCLP) Fall Public Update Webinar
In December of 2022, Ithaka S+R announced participation in a multi-institutional partnership to facilitate the cross-industry development of collaborative library collections, funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services in a grant awarded to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration & Innovation (PALCI), Lehigh University Libraries, and Ithaka S+R, along with 27 other partner organizations. The project aims to create a suite of best practices, prototype middleware, and improve standards in order…
Past Event
June 8, 2023
Leading by Diversifying Collections
At the EBSO User Forum taking place on Thursday, June 8, Ithaka S+R’s Tracy Bergstrom and Danielle M. Cooper will present a recent publication, Leading by Diversifying Collections: A Guide for Academic Library Leadership. The presentation will be followed by a demonstration of the ways in which EBSCO’s content, features, and business practices support DEI in libraries and research.
Blog Post
April 26, 2023
Three Questions for Tracy Bergstrom
Earlier this month, Tracy Bergstrom joined Ithaka S+R as a program manager focused on collections and infrastructure. Previously she worked at the University of Notre Dame as director of the specialized collection services program within the Hesburgh Libraries. In this interview, we asked Tracy about her career trajectory, the challenges facing academic libraries, and what types of projects she will be undertaking in her new role. You worked at Notre Dame for a number of years. How did you get…
Past Event
March 17, 2023
Casting a Different Kind of Net
Diversifying Collections in Academic Libraries
At ACRL’s 2023 Conference, Ithaka S+R’s Mark McBride will participate in an OCLC hosted panel discussion on diversifying collections in academic libraries, alongside Andy Breeding and Merrilee Proffitt. The panel is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 17 at 9 – 10 am. Panelists will share findings from recent research and related discussions that explore: What does it mean to diversify collections? What practices can support those efforts? What barriers are being encountered? What does a better future look…
Blog Post
January 30, 2023
A Librarian’s Perspective on Streaming Video in Educational Contexts
Almost exactly one year ago, I added “Streaming Video Coordinator” to my portfolio at Cornell University Library, a role which includes looking strategically at our streaming media offerings. In this capacity I started thinking about what a collection policy focused on streaming video might look like. In fact, libraries don’t collect streaming video at all, but rather prioritize timely access to films needed to support course instruction.
Blog Post
December 19, 2022
Collaborative Collection Development
A New IMLS-Funded Partnership
Ithaka S+R is proud to announce our participation in a new multi-institutional partnership to facilitate the cross-industry development of collaborative library collections. The project is generously funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant for Libraries, awarded to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration & Innovation (PALCI), Lehigh University Libraries, and Ithaka S+R, along with 27 other partner organizations.
Blog Post
June 6, 2019
Legacy Missions in Times of Change
New Issue Brief on Library Collections
Regardless of the rapidly changing information and technology landscape, collections continue to be at the heart of academic libraries, signifying their role in providing access to our cultural heritage. But in an increasingly networked, distributed, licensed environment, how do we define the library collection? What do collections imply? What is involved in building a collection? The purpose of the brief…
Issue Brief
June 6, 2019
What’s a Collection Anyway?
In 1953, Kenneth J. Braugh stated that the mission of Harvard’s library was to collect and preserve everything. Those days are long gone. For the last couple of decades, given the rapid expansion of scholarly content sources and types, even the best-funded research libraries have become cognizant that a comprehensive collection is an unattainable vision. Nevertheless, many research library mission statements continue to give prominence to their role in making the world’s knowledge accessible to a wide range of user…